San Diego Cops To Change Tactics That Upset Minority Communities

Above: Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman told an audience at Cherokee Point Elementary School in City Heights she's committed to regaining the trust of the community at a March 26, 2014 town hall meeting.

San Diego Police Training Bulletin On Probation Inquiries

The San Diego Police Department is attempting to deal with two major community complaints: People don’t like to be made to sit on the curb while officers question them, nor do they like to be asked whether they’re on probation or parole.

“You get stopped maybe for a traffic ticket and they take you out (of) your car, and they’re doing further investigation and they’re not sure what reason, but they’re sitting you on the curb,” Wilson said. “So everybody can see you sitting on the curb.”

Wilson and the San Diego chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union started updating those policies with former Chief Bill Lansdowne in January. Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, the ACLU’s policy director, said Lansdowne told her he was shocked at how frequently officers were having people sit on the curb when he did a ride-along.

Dooley-Sammuli said she’s pleased with the Police Department's policy changes but wants to see how officers in the field react.

“Changing words on a paper have to be met with changing behavior,” she said. “That’s when we’ll really know.”